Posting a string of frustrated tweets on his social media account, he raged: “The new Top Gear is a hit. OFFICIALLY. 23% audience share. 12% MORE than the opening episode of the last series. These are the FACTS.

“Top Gear audience grew throughout the hour. FACT. Won its slot. FACT. Still number one on i Player. FACT. These are THE FACTS folks. [sic]”

However, Chris and the team have since delivered some good news, as it has been revealed that the figure for the first episode has now topped eight million, taking into account the people who watched it on demand and on the BBC iPlayer.